Kaneki Ken
by foggraven
Summary: There is something Decidly inhuman about him
1. Chapter 1

**An: A little something that came to me, it will follow in much the same vein as my other story 'Divination'. ****Please enjoy.**

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><p>.<p>

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Third year is marked by the presence of dementors and two new additions to the staff table.

When Harry and Hermione enter the Great Hall after professor McGonagall finishes with them there he is sitting at the Head table a stylish eye patch over one eye with hair white as snow and black nailed fingers. His one visible eye sports a red iris and black sclera.

The students can't seem to help but stare at this strange new figure.

There is something decidedly inhuman about him.

From the way he moves, to the way he looks at them sometimes; like they exist only because he allows them to. Everything about him screams the casual inborn superiority of something higher on the food chain.

The way he habitually cracks his fingers is instinctually terrifying and his presence is that of a predators.

He never eats anything and they only ever seem to see him drinking coffee and a mysterious viscous liquid which looks suspiciously like blood.

His diet or rather lack of one leads to whispers about him being a vampire but in the end he is something far more terrifying.

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	2. Chapter 2

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Kaneki ken.

When they follow after professor Lupin and enter the staff room for their first DADA lesson of the year it's empty except for Snape and Dumbledore's enigmatic guest.

Snape leaves shortly after but Kaneki decides to stay and watch.

Professor Lupin seems strangely on edge around the mysterious foreigner, even more so than is usual. Despite this he continues his lesson with admiral composure even as his instincts and nose scream at him to flee. He doesn't know what but something about the man causes his hackles to rise and his hair to stand on end, it's all he can do not to growl when he draws too near.

The other students seem mostly unaware to this unseen tension but it is something that Hermione subtly picks up on. It is another curiosity to add to the list.

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Today they are learning about boggarts. Most of his classmates have simple almost childish fears but for Harry it's a terrifying prospect, the idea of facing one's worst fears.

Just when it's about to be his turn and professor Lupin steps forward and looks like he is about to intervene he's interrupted by Kaneki.

So far he's just been sitting and watching but now he's standing with one hand lightly touching their defence professors' shoulder.

"I do wonder what it is that I fear most, I do hope you would not begrudge me if I were to ask for a try."

"Certainly," Lupin's response is almost chocked, like the man is forcing himself to speak.

Harry is secretly relieved that he does not have to face his fear. He has not been able to think of way in which he could possibly make a dementor seem _funny._

His relief is short lived.

Until now he could not think of something more terrifying than dementors, was incapable of it.

That changes.

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The whole class watches in horror as it unfolds.

The intensity of this fear is unreal.

Slowly with measured steps Kaneki walks to the front.

The boggart noticing him _shifts._

_._

It's Kaneki head bowed chained to a chair.

He's covered in blood and his clothes are ragged, what look like scar marks are visible surrounding the bases of his toes and fingers.

"548, 559," the voices lingers in the air and their eyes are drawn to the bucket full of severed toes and fingers and the blood stained metal implements.

The implications are disturbing.

Slowly he looks up and stands breaking his metal restraints like they're not even there.

He cocks his head and taps against one ear, and then he ceases tapping and they can hear it, the scuttling of multitudes of tiny legs.

And then he puts he hand to his ear and _pulls. _

It is the single most horrific thing any of them have ever seen.

Slowly inch by inch he removes the centipede from his head.

The real Kaneki watches on unfazed, until the scene fades and then he looks like he might cry.

There is a woman, beautiful with long purple hair with eyes like his.

She comes to stand before him.

With a tender expression she looks at him like someone would a lover.

As she fades, blood blooming across her clothes, her voice calls out softly filled with love and tenderness.

"That's right, Kaneki. To live is to devour others. Eat."

And there she lies.

Her body atop a pile of others, all with those same eyes and all dead.

"Eat."

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><p><strong>An: Lupin's wolf side can sense he's in the presence of a predator; this is where his odd subconscious wariness of Kaneki stems from. I love Touka but I also love Rize. <strong>


	3. Chapter 3

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Word about the boggart spreads like wildfire.

The mystery of Kaneki Ken grew even more tantalizing... and terrifying.

The fear the boggart showed was too vivid, too real to have been anything but a memory.

It was almost to horrific too be real, but it was.

Kaneki had been tortured.

His toes and fingers had been grown and regrown only to be cut off again and again. A centipede had been put inside his head and left to roam. It spoke of a cold, clinical, cruelty. Cold and soulless and evil, the work of a monster.

But he'd escaped.

Somehow he'd escaped and broken his bonds.

Watching him pull out the centipede within his ear had been sickening, most of the class had thrown up at the sight and the mere retelling of it was enough to make all who heard it queasy.

And if that wasn't enough to make you lose your lunch then what had come next had made sure everyone that witnessed it did.

Those chilling words, spoken like to a lover, "to live is to devour others. Eat"

Who was the beautiful woman that commanded with that her body be ate with a voice filled with such tenderness and love.

What was her relation to Kaneki that she whisper to him to eat her flesh.

And most disturbingly, had he?

There was the terrible feeling that he had.

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	4. Chapter 4

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He's holding an eyeball, holding it between thumb and fore finger. It looks unnervingly human and the teachers on either side of him at the head table seem unnerved, shifting uncomfortably. Only Dumbledore and professor Snape, who uses similarly disturbing potions ingredients, remain unfazed.

After a considerable time considering the object he holds he puts it in his mouth and eats it.  
>With a shudder they remember the woman's words, <em>"Eat."<em>

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Vampire's drink blood but they do not eat flesh and they most certainly do not possess the strange red and black eyes that Kaneki Ken does.

Yes he drinks blood, they are fairly certain that is what the mysterious red liquid he drinks is.

Yes his very presence screams supernatural and unworldly, something beyond human.

These are all traits of a vampire but he isn't one, so what is he?

Hermione is determined to find out.

The wild rumours and half truths surrounding his identity becomes the most talked about piece of rumour mongering in the castle, tied with the topic of one Sirius Black and his impossible escape from Azkaban.

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Honeydukes isn't the first magical sweets shop Harry has visited, but it has widest selection, which is logical seeing as just how many students visit.

Hermione isn't all that pleased with him sneaking out but to his relief she soon lets it go.

While Ron's telling them about Acid pops they spy Kaneki perusing some of the more 'interesting' candies, a Blood pop firmly in his mouth.

Later they spot him at the Three Broomsticks. He's causally reading a book with a foreign title written in what Hermione recognises as Japanese.

Placing his book down he's joined by a younger woman they don't recognise.

She's sweet looking with short brown hair that curves around her face prettily and large brown eyes.

She calls him _Onii-san_. Later when Hermione looks it up they find she was referring to him as 'older brother'.

It idiosyncratic, that someone so pure could be the sister of someone like Kaneki.

Whatever the case may be they clearly care about each other. Kaneki dotes on her and she clearly adores him.

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	5. Chapter 5

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Coffee seems to be a favourite of Kaneki's.

The white haired man drank the stuff morning, noon and tea.

Sometimes he adds odd smelling sugar cubes, but usually drinks it without even that.

Most of the teachers drink tea, but some of them also drink coffee but they usually add things like sugar and cream or milk.

Out of curiosity brought on by the man's likening for the drink many of the students had given it a try and most found it bitter and disgusting.

They can't help but wonder what about the drink the man found appealing.

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The students find Kaneki Ken intriguing, intriguing and disturbing.

Among the teachers thinking remains rather mixed.

Kaneki seems to respect Dumbledore and the two are friendly.

Professor Trelawney on the other hand, won't go near him. In fact she seems to go out of her way to avoid him.

Hagrid however gets on with the foreigner amiably. Some people can't help but draw parallels with the large man's love of dangerous creatures.

The tiny Charm's professor enjoys the intelligent company as does surprisingly, professor Snape to a degree, though maybe not so surprisingly given his hate for 'dunderheads.'

The others remain undecided on the matter or are ambivalent.

Still everyone can't help but be a little bit wary of him.

There's just something instinctually _wrong_ about him.

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	6. Chapter 6

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As the school year draws to a close Hermione is still no closer to unravelling the mystery of the white haired foreigner.

Her preoccupation with him had lead to Ron accusing her of having a crush on the man which she had refuted, though Harry had noticed a light red staining of her cheeks.

He might find him unnerving but he supposed it was an upgrade from her infatuation with the fraud from last year.

No one knew what exactly he did when he vanished from the castle, disappearing for days or even for months at a time. For that matter no one really knew exactly what he did when he was at the castle.

He didn't teach except for when McGonagall needed an assistant or when professor Flitwick asked him to cover for him when particularly rowdy late night parties ended with him spending the day trying to uncharm the unfortunate upperclassmen who'd had their ears glued to their buttocks.

Most days he could be found in odd spots around the castle drinking coffee or reading a book. For someone so strange he was rather unremarkable in his habits.

With the exception of the infamous boggart and eyeball eating incidents the year passed without much of note happening that involved the white haired man.

There were many minor incidents such as when he once caused Trelawney to shriek and flee the room after he appeared behind her unexpectedly, or when he ate disturbing candies that Honeydukes clearly stated were not intended to be eaten by humans on their packaging.

But overall nothing much seemed to happen beyond Kaneki drinking the entire school's weight in coffee.

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><p><strong>An: fourth year starts next chapter, I wanted to round off third year since not too much happens that I find useful for this story.<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

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The Quidditch World Cup ends with a riot and the Dark Lord's mark lighting up the night sky.

By the time September first arrives the ministry is still receiving howlers and being bombarded by reporters.

Things only get marginally better with the announcement of the Triwizard tournament's reinstatement.

Life it seems can never be simple.

With everything that's being going on things seem to be shaping up for an interesting year.

Harry, Hermione and Ron enter the Great Hall drenched in water after running afoul of Peeves. Upon entering they spot Kaneki sitting at Head Table.

He looks the same as ever and once again they notice just how odd he looks. He still doesn't actually eat anything, but he drinks that mysterious red liquid almost as much as the grizzled ex Auror who will be teaching them drinks from his hip flask.

With a shudder Harry turns back to his meal as he recalls prevalent suspicion held by most of the students that it's blood.

Unbidden a memory of lingers in his ear, "_Eat."_

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	8. Chapter 8

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Moody was crazy.

The man was undeniably off his rocker and had more than a few screws loose.

He'd also been an imposter and had his head almost taken off by Kaneki after he'd been discovered.

Unfortunately he'd already managed to enter Harry into the tournament the day before his discovery.

Under questioning he'd admitted to entering Harry under a fourth school after managing to confound the cup.

Unfortunately they hadn't been able to find out why and Fudge had denounced his claims of still following a very much still alive master as the ravings of a mad man.

The whole torrid affair had become very public once the prophet's reporters had gotten wind of it.

Mr Crouch's part in the whole thing had been so scandalous that headlines were still screaming about it months after it was discovered as the whole country followed the whole unfolding story.

The real Moody had been found tied up in his own trunk and was understandably shaken after his short imprisonment and left even twitcher than normal but had eventually taken over as the Defense teacher and was just as crazy as his imposter and ten times more paranoid, probably as a result of being stuffed inside his own trunk.

No one had seen the confrontation between the fake Moody and Kaneki so naturally the Hogwarts rumour mill had gone into overdrive spawning endless theories each more ridiculous than the last until the story went that he'd rode in on a dragon which had promptly ate the imposter, presumably passing him in one whole piece after which he'd promptly been carted off to be interrogated by an elite squad of secret Ministry Aurors still encased in a pile of dragon dung.

While the story was amusing Harry found himself a lot less amused when he learnt that he was still expected to compete owing to the magically binding nature of the tournament and that he would be shortly facing a very real dragon of his own.

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	9. Chapter 9

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Facing a dragon was terrifying, but not nearly as terrifying as facing Kaneki when you accidently bumped into him in the hall and he made that unnerving cracking sound with his fingers.

Equally as unnerving, was when he stared at you unblinkingly with that awful eye of his before he smiled creepily and moved on his way.

That soft smile wouldn't have looked out of place on anyone else but Kaneki was just terrifying without him having to even try.

When Harry found himself facing a dragon he decided that, actually they were pretty terrifying too.

It was even more terrifying when the dragon somehow managed to get loose from its handlers and snap at him before it was restrained again.

He'd almost wet himself.

Thankfully though the champions managed to pass the test unscathed... _relatively._

Their reprieve came to a sudden halt with the announcement of a Yule Ball which they were expected to attend, dates in tough.

Harry managed to work himself up again at that and he was beginning to think the tournament might be the end of him before he could get to the end of it.

Girls were decidedly not his strong suit.

Kaneki didn't seem to have much of a problem though, everyday flocks of girls would swarm him vying for his attention.

The males of the castle found themselves rather put out, even though the older man turned them down.

"It's like Lockhart all over again," Ron had mumbled darkly. Hermione had rolled her eyes but Harry thought he saw that blush again.

Idly he wondered how they could be near him without wetting themselves only to blush when his hormonal mind had suggested that they probably were.

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><p><strong>An: Cause we all know he'd makes any straight female swoon if they weren't too busy pissing themselves.<strong>


	10. Chapter 10

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The Yule ball is a showcase of winter finery.

Coming down the stairs Hermione unusually pretty dressed in blue, Fleur resplendent in her fine silken gown, fae like and unearthly, Cho in the traditional Chinese dress of her family's origins, the female half of the champions and their dates draw the eyes of all in attendance as they enter.

Kaneki sits by Dumbledore at the 'head' table. The sight of him and his entourage of two draws the curious sight of the champions and their companions ogglers.

By his side cherubic sister Hinami and a woman nobody recognizes until someone briefly remembers seeing a glimpse of her amongst the mangled bodies of his boggart.

The others sitting by them look decidedly uncomfortable in their presence to the champions as they approached.

Their elegance and beauty surpassing anything earthly is evident, dressed in equally unearthly garments of fine cloths that never look anything less than perfect no matter how their wearers move.

Harry is suddenly reminded of angels and fae, not those idealistic portrayals of modernity; they don't suit except for the younger sister, rather the great representations of antiquity.

Hinami is innocent and just so... pure, untainted by the darkness of the world, like an angel that might guide the dead to heavens.

Her brother as always a strange mix of opposed personalities. One is like some fae lord, distant and cold, predisposed to cruelty and possessed of an inherent indifference to those lesser than him. This is usually buried under the quite gentleness characterised by his more earthly side.

Touka though has a beautiful melancholy about her.

Possessed of a great sadness and a great beauty she's all hard edges and soft looks, it is a strange dichotomy. But most of all she just seems... tired.

The first dance is performed and then everybody is dancing and mingling enjoying the festivities.

Several armours couples rather unscrupulously take advantage of the opportunity to disappear into the fairy laden bushes.

Harry spots Kaneki happy and smiling dancing with his date and playfully spinning his sister.

He seems happy something he can't if he's honest with himself ever really seeing, not truly.

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><p>An: Originally it was just going to be Hinami but quite a lot of you wanted Touka to show up and seeing as I'm rather partial to her character it ended up being a combination of the two. Thank you all for your taking such and interest in this little story.<p> 


	11. Chapter 11

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Compared to Dragons or scoring a date for the Yule ball an hour long dip in the lake to retrieve a hostage was a breeze, that is it was once you actually had a way to breathe underwater for an hour.

Gillyweed might taste disgusting but it got the job done.

In fact he rather liked the whole thing once he got over the whole 'not being able to breathe underwater and possibly drowning or otherwise dying part'.

Being tearfully thanked by a distraught Fleur -who was coincidently still in her bathing suit, for rescuing her sister had been particularly enjoyable.

By the time the third task rolled around not much had happened outside Kaneki scarring some students from the visiting schools with his unnerving presence.

The third task was a maze, not very original but at least the viewers would get see them have to fight off whatever creatures Hagrid supplied for the task as they stumbled about trying to find their way in the dark – the task being carried out at night and with minimal lighting for the champions; because 'wasn't that exciting'.

Finally the end of the tournament came with the grand reveal of an elaborate and villainous plot to resurrect the dark lord Voldermort, who had somehow managed to continue with said overcomplicated and nonsensical plan even with the discovery of his plant at Hogwarts.

Of course when Harry showed up back at Hogwarts after the whole thing with Cedric Diggory's body no one believed his claims.

By the end of it all Harry had a headache and just wanted to go to sleep and not wake up for a month.

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><p>An: Now we can get on to the real plot bits of Harry Potter so if I'll be changing anything it'll be here.<p> 


	12. Chapter 12

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Dementors, detentions and diabolical Defense teachers was what Harry's time was filled with these days. To say it was hell was putting it lightly.

Umbridge was a terror and she had Hogwarts squarely in her sights.

Kaneki –when he was there at least, was one of the few she seemed unable to cow.

She seemed to have a personal vendetta against him which many suspected was due to his obviously non-human heritage and Umbridge's notorious hatred of them.

And then one day she just... disappeared.

No sign, no warning. One day she'd just up and left to make a report at the ministry and never came back.

Looking up at the staff table he shuddered, _he_ had an eyeball again.

They had an unsettling feeling about where their hated Defence teacher had gone. Most tried not to think about it and just tried to be happy she was gone.

When he glanced back at the table there was a suspicious twinkling to Dumbledore's eyes and Snape was sporting a very small smirk.

He shuddered again.

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><p>An: The French eat frogs, after hanging with Tsukiyama for so long I'm sure he'd be open to giving toad a try.<p> 


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